How You Get Help

For medical, fire or police emergencies dial 9-1-1 now.

United Way knows that people in need rarely know where to turn to for help. Perhaps you need special assistance for yourself. It could be a family member, a neighbor, a co-worker or friend.

For non-emergency situations where you are seeking counseling, guidance and assistance, call the 2-1-1 operator. The call and assistance is absolutely free. Simply dial 2-1-1 and trained operators will answer at any time of day or night with information on nearly any kind of issue you may be facing. These professionals are standing by now to help you find an agency, support center, clinic or counselor to identify and attempt to resolve issues that can include domestic abuse, disasters, unemployment, personal financial difficulties, the need for food and non-emergency health care, legal assistance, mental health counseling, senior care, housing and substance abuse programs.

You can dial 2-1-1 from your home or wireless phone to receive free crisis counseling along with useful information and referral 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Help is just a phone call away.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay provides 24/7 information for Hillsborough County (813-234-1234) . Crisis Center offers a wide variety of services for people in crisis. For more information go to http://www.crisiscenter.com/ .

In Pinellas County (727-210-4211), 2-1-1 Tampa Bay provides immediate round-the-clock information for those needing assistance. Learn more at http://www.211tampabay.org/ on the Internet.

United Way of Tampa Bay provides funding support to 2-1-1 operations throughout the region and supports many of the agencies they refer people to contact. United Way is a key partner in getting the community connected to critical service providers in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.

United Way of Tampa Bay’s strategic mission is focused on four areas of community impact:

Children & Youth
Family Financial Stability
Vibrant Neighborhoods
Safety Net

United Way Highlights and Achievements

31,500+ kids received United Way-assisted child care
More than 2,100 children attended preschool programs.
85,000 books collected for area children.
17,155 kids participated in out-of-school time programs.
20,000+ Tampa Bay kids received one-to-one mentoring.
Nearly 30,000 children and youth participated in development programs.
44 percent of Summer Care families received United Way assisted tax preparation.
62, 821 individuals received financial stability guidance and education.
11,500 tax returns prepared with United Way assistance in Hillsborough and Pinellas.
3,900+ Earned Income Tax Credits were prepared.
400 families received loans throughout Pinellas County.
$11.8 million was returned to low- and moderate-income working families.
300,612 families received help with food and shelter.
9,801 seniors received assistance and guidance.
70,632 hungry individuals received food assistance.
14,800 pounds of food helped our STOP HOMETOWN HUNGER partners.
More than 154,000 telephone calls were received by 2-1-1 providers.
Provided more than 23,000 hours of volunteer service from approximately 3,300 individual participants in the HandsOn Tampa Bay program.